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List Price: $69.99
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I spent hours researching every electric kettle available (and looking at them in person, in stores) before settling on this one. I've owned it for about 6 months now, and it's been great. The concealed heating element and the simple one-piece plastic jug design make it very easy to clean (not that I've needed to) and leak resistant (I assume, from a design perspective, since mine has no leaks yet). The only way it could leak is if the grommet sealing the metal bottom piece to the plastic jug developed a leak, whereas most of the stainless steel kettles being sold have several parts, many seams, and thus many places a leak could develop. There is some mild browning of the plastic inside the jug, I suppose a reaction to the high heat. This same thing happened with my roommate's older plastic electric kettle, so it's to be expected. People complain about plastic vs. stainless steel, I settled on plastic for one primary reason: it is a better insulator, so not only will it keep the water hotter for longer, it will be safer to handle in general (ie. it won't burn you or a child if it is accidentally picked up by its sides while it contains hot water). People complain about plastic "leeching chemicals" into the water, I haven't noticed any difference in taste, personally, and I doubt stainless steel would be much "safer" than plastic in this respect. The switch works great, and mine has never spilled water or over-boiled it (as long as it contains the minimum recommended amount of water). The spout and handle shapes make it easy to pour, and the locking top makes it pretty tough to spill. Definitely recommended, I'm buying another one for my parents right now.
PS While researching electric kettles, I frequently saw complaints of how kettles designed for use in the USA don't heat water as fast as those in the UK. This is for a very simple reason: UK uses 240 volt power, USA uses 120 volts. Most electrical receptacles are rated for 15 amps (though the kitchen are often has at least two 20-amp circuits, per NEC recommendations). Watts = volts * amps, which means that UK kettles can get up to 240 volts * 15 amps = 3600 watts, while USA kettles can get up to 120 volts * 15 amps = 1800 watts. Manufacturers might sometimes avoid approaching this limit, perhaps due to safety or liability issues? Just note that this 1750 watt Tfal kettle is very close to the typical USA receptacle wattage rating. It's just about as high as you'll be able to get in the USA...most other USA electric kettles only go up to 1500 watts.
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I got more than I expected. Which is good, because it seemed over priced when I bought it. But it was the only one I could find with a truly variable temp control. Now, I think the price was fair.
Pro's
Variable temprature: This is why I picked this product. I wanted full control of the temp of the water.
Filtered spout: I don't use it. Could be useful for keeping tea or any other particles in the pot while pouring.
Dock station: The pot is easily removed from doc, so there is no cord in the way when pouring.
Hidden Cord: Cord winds up inside the dock. Makes it easy to hide extra cord, if you have that luxury. See Cons :(.
Insulated: Keeps water hot for a long time.
Auto off: Turns of when it gets to temperature.
Cons
4ft cord: I could use 1 more foot :(.
Wish list:
Stay On Option: Keeping water at temperature would be a nice option. Rather than letting it slowly cool down.
Thermometer: Doesn't tell you the actual temperature of the water. Not even an estimate on the temperature knob.
Best Deals for T-fal BF6520003 Vitesses 1.7-Liter 7-Cup Electric Kettle, White
I can't imagine anyone not loving this electric kettle. My first one was a gift, received about 5 years ago. It's used numerous times every day and still brings water to a boil as fast as it did for that first cup of tea. The microwave and stove lose the race to the T-Fal. Once the water is at the boiling point for about 15 seconds the kettle turns off automatically. That safety feature rates high on my list of kudos for this product. The handle is extremely comfortable, the pot is easy to fill and pour. We always take our T-Fal Electric Kettle with us when we travel(we have a 4 cup version as well as a 7 cup...I'm sorry they no longer make the small one). I've only been able to find them on line but believe me I never want to be without one.
Honest reviews on T-fal BF6520003 Vitesses 1.7-Liter 7-Cup Electric Kettle, White
We've used this electric kettle about twice a day every day for over three and a half years. It's still boiling (or, more often, not-quite-boiling) away!
The big attraction was the temperature control. Being able to set-and-forget for green tea was essential. Ignore the continuous orange arc over the dial: there are three distinct temperature settings: not-quite-boiled, boiled, and a hearty rolling boil suitable for strong black tea, pasta, and clearing drains. I've accidentally knocked the knob off a few times, but no matter I just pop it back on again in the appropriate position (it goes on only one way). At any rate, since we drink green tea and black tea, we use all three settings constantly so the switch itself gets a fair daily workout too and it's held up well.
Another big attraction was the power of the thing. This electric kettle draws more power than most, but the result is a faster boil time. It can boil up a full load of water in about the time it takes me to set up the teapot. We have huge teapots, so we're usually heating up a full 1.7 liters.
The plastic exterior does get hot to the touch, but the handle stays cool. Unfortunately, the interior is plastic except for the steel bottom, which encloses the heating element. That said, we've noticed no off tastes throughout its long life. Or maybe we're just used to it by now. We're past the age of worrying about birth defects, and as for harmful outgassing, well, we have two boys. You don't know harmful outgassing until you've lived in a tent with two boys.
Actually, come to think of it and writing this review makes me remember this we really meant to return this kettle over 3-1/2 years ago because of the plastic interior, which was a deal-killer. But, we needed a kettle in the meantime. Like a mangy mutt that follows you home, this thing just settled into our kitchen and we never got around to kicking it out. For what it's worth, it has lasted longer than two previous steel-interior kettles we've had, both of which fell victim to corrosion and leaked shorting out the whole device and, in one case, causing some small excitement in the process.
As for care, we might have cleaned it once or twice, probably when we were still thinking of returning it. In the past couple years, we've probably never cleaned it. (You: "Gross!" Us: *shrug*) We generally use filtered water in it, except when we're boiling water to pour into slow drains or onto barbarian hordes.
I'd recommend it unreservedly if it wasn't for that plastic interior, and I totally understand if that's a deal-killer for you. But, for what it is a large capacity, plastic-interiored electric kettle with a temperature control it's a five-star product.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for T-fal BF6520003 Vitesses 1.7-Liter 7-Cup Electric Kettle, White
We bought this product so we could take the older model that we already had to our office.
This newer model has the different temperature settings that I really didn't see the need for before purchasing and using it. I do appreciate this feature now because the lowest setting makes it possible to heat water for coffee that is hot enough but is also ready to drink without waiting for it to cool. I used to try to catch the older model to stop it before it came to a full boil--now I don't have to keep a watch on it, and I can get instant chuggable coffee when I need it.
Instant coffee drinkers should love this product.
